Afro-Brazilians marked Black Consciousness Day as a national holiday for the first time, but the celebrations are facing resistance. Plus, a fertility ‘miracle’ rattles Nigeria and Kendrick Lamar’s surprise drop

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Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. It was a big week in Brazil, where Black Consciousness Day on 20 November was a public holiday for the first time. I spoke to Tiago Rogero , our South America correspondent, about the significance of the day and the big changes happening in Brazil’s approach to race. But first, the weekly roundup.

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Worries about animal euthanasia and mishandling of complaints from students about racism among concerns

The University of Cambridge’s prestigious veterinary course could be stripped of its professional accreditation after regulators uncovered “ethical concerns” over animal euthanasia and mishandling of complaints from students who experienced racism and discrimination.

Investigators from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) said Cambridge’s veterinary medicine course failed to meet 50 out of 77 standards, and the head of department warned students they may not be able to work in the UK without additional qualifications.

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Emmitt Martin pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations in killing that renewed calls for police reform

Federal prosecutors recommended a 40-year sentence for a former Memphis police officer who pleaded guilty on Friday to federal civil rights violations in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols .

Emmitt Martin is the second former officer to plead guilty in the killing that sparked outrage and renewed calls for police reform. Three former officers still face trial in federal court in September, and two of their former colleagues could testify against them.

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Ruling says actions of Taylor’s boyfriend, who says he fired at police believing they were intruders, caused her death

A federal judge has thrown out major felony charges against two former Louisville, Kentucky, officers accused of falsifying a warrant that led police to Breonna Taylor ’s door before they fatally shot her.

The ruling from US district judge Charles Simpson declared that the actions of Taylor’s boyfriend, who fired a shot at police the night of the raid, were the legal cause of her death, not a bad warrant.

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Four-year review by Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination found ‘very troubling’ trend of ‘xenophobic discourse’ and ‘excessive’ use of police force

The UK must act to curb a sharp increase in the use of racist hate speech by British politicians and high-profile public figures, a UN body has said.

Ministers must “adopt comprehensive measures to discourage and combat racist hate speech and xenophobic discourse by political and public figures” and ensure that such cases are “effectively investigated and sanctioned”, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended in a report.

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Michelle Charters urges more recognition and reconciliation on Unesco’s Slavery Remembrance Day

Liverpool must not “shy away” from its historic involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, the organiser of the city’s 25th Slavery Remembrance Day commemoration has said.

Michelle Charters, who is leading Liverpool’s events for Unesco’s Slavery Remembrance Day, said it was important to address and recognise the city’s tarnished history.

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One in 10 Americans identify as multiracial. Many identify with the Democrat – and see her heritage as an advantage

For Sonia Smith Kang, it hasn’t come as a surprise that Kamala Harris’s ethnic background has been challenged by her opponent and other members of the Republican party. “It’s what mixed folks have been dealing with for a long time,” said Smith Kang, who is both Mexican and Black and is married to a Korean man.

Since Donald Trump’s false attacks on the racial identity of Kamala Harris at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention last month, he has purposely mispronounced her name, posted a photo of her in a traditional Indian sari and employed supporters to claim that the Democratic presidential candidate is not Black. For mixed-race voters who heard Trump state that Harris “happened to turn Black”, feelings of anger, frustration and annoyance instantly arose.

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Move is latest step in case of Crystal Mason that has captured US attention because of severity of sentence

Texas’s highest criminal court announced on Wednesday it would again consider the case of Crystal Mason , a Texas woman who was sentenced to five years in prison for trying to cast a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election when she was ineligible to vote.

The announcement from the Texas court of criminal appeals is the latest step in a nearly eight-year case that has captured national attention because of the severity of Mason’s sentence. Mason, who lives in Fort Worth, attempted to vote in 2016 while on supervised release – which is like probation – for a federal tax felony. Texas, like several other US states, bars people convicted of a felony from voting until they have completed their sentence.

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The documentary, shot over years, pushes audiences to ask: who is being punished when we send fathers away?

In a fluorescent-lit corridor of a Washington DC jail, a group of men nervously await the arrival of their daughters for a special dance. The fathers, dressed in suits and ties, haven’t seen their children in months, some in years, due to incarceration.

After a few beats, the girls finally arrive, nervous in their own right. They wave shyly at their fathers, walking arm in arm with each other for comfort, before breaking away for hugs and kisses.

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